BE GOOD TO YOURSELF’

By: Muhammad Mahtab Bashir
Islamabad
mahtabbashir@gmail.com

With the catchphrase of Quaidian once- Quaidian forever, I feel nostalgic yet proud whenever I see sky blue buses running on the roads of Islamabad and Rawalpindi. As an ex-student of Quaid-e-Azam University (QAU), Islamabad, one of the top public institutions of higher education in the country with its qualified faculty members and researchers, it is not just reminiscence of spending time at the campus but getting a quality education to broadening my mental horizon through extensive knowledge imported by a team of professionals.

It is with heavy heart to read the lines of Khateeb Maulana of Lal Masjid interview, aired on 12th of April on FM Radio. Maulana quite drastically molded this place of excellence in education (QAU) into a filthy place of brothel. He further said,” Its (QAU) female professors and students roam in objectionable dresses. I think I will have to send my daughters of Jamia Hafsa to these immoral women. They will have to hide themselves in hijab otherwise they will be punished according to Islam….Sportswomen are spreading nudity. I warn the sportswomen of Islamabad to stop participating in sports or my daughters of Jamia Hafsa will punish them in public.” Female students also issued the threat of throwing acid on the uncovered faces of women, which later on negated by Maulana himself (due to unknown reasons).

I feel no respect to a person, who makes such remarks for character assassination of students and faculty members (all females) who come along across the country to fill their thirst with the liquor of knowledge or to export knowledge to younger generation. Does Islam encourage such words to make publicly when you do not have solid evidence? Is this “all respect” women has in Islam?

I vehemently condemn the derogatory remarks of cleric of Lal Masjid, as this is not at all a way of preaching of religion. No one has the right to say whatever he intends to. I may be in favor of Jamia Hafsa administration in their stance on razing of Mosques and Madaris on different places but I must say them goodbye in digestion of this way of prevailing Islamic values.

We being a Muslim in general and being a fundamentalist in particular never realized what our actual Islamic duties are. From where our limits begin and at what destination it ends up? Quite often we heard and read in newspapers a man of religion involved in adultery with minors and that too in premises of holy place.

Islam is a religion of tranquility, serenity and clemency. It never supports a Muslim to throw acid to other fellow or to punish others publicly. Khateeb of Lal Masjid should depict the soft and enlightened values of Islam without tarnishing the real image of it. You may carry a horse near to a well with force, but you can never force him to take a drink. Showing strength generates strength in opposite. Just be calm, collected and flexible in preaching of Islamic teachings and if possible demonstrate practically to others what you do in rhetoric.

In our current social scenario, we are under constant threat of transformation from good to bad. This is because of the influence of western media, obviously altering our value system. We must put our acts together instead of criticizing immorally to each others. I have a simple dictum fits in such atmosphere, “Be good to yourself and you will find one rogue less on the face of this planet”.

The writer is a freelance columnist & a political analyst from Islamabad

MUHAMMAD MAHTAB BASHIR
House # 2026, Street # 32,
I-10/2, ISLAMABAD.
Cell: 0300 52 56 875
mahtabbashir@gmail.com